Top 10 Best Vacuums For Pet Hair 2018

If you are like most people, your family pets are treated just like members of the family. Your pets probably behave better than your children; but your dog or cat is unquestionably going to shed a lot more hair than the kids. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the top 10 best vacuums for pet hair 2018 currently listed on Amazon.com.

Pet Hair

Pet hair is more difficult to remove than most other dirt and debris in your home. The problem with pet hair is that it’s usually quite fine and binds to other hair, carpet and debris. Just running an old vacuum over a carpet full of pet hair might remove the top layer, but it certainly isn’t going to get the hair embedded deep into the carpet fibers.

This is an important distinction. Pet hair embedded in a carpet inhibits air movement. This promotes potential mold growth by trapping moisture in the lower layers of the carpet. Put another way, you need to effectively vacuum up pet hair, or risk the growth of unhealthy bacteria in your flooring.

Types of Vacuums

Although vacuum manufacturers often claim their vacuums are perfect for every situation, these statements are often just marketing fluff and not reality. The truth is that certain types of vacuums are much better at picking up pet hair than others. Let’s look at the three major classifications.

Handheld

A handheld vacuum is by far the best option for vacuuming pet hair in your home. These vacuums normally have very good suction, but the reason they’re particularly effective is that you can use them to gain access to tight nooks in your home, and use them on surfaces like stairs where full-size vacuums can be impossible to maneuver.

Of course, there is one serious downside to handheld vacuums. These machines are a very bad choice for vacuuming large spaces – unless you enjoy getting on your knees and knees to work the carpet like a cow grazing in a field.

Should you invest in a handheld vacuum to clean up pet hair? Yes. These machines let you access areas you can’t get at with larger vacuums, and cost less than $50 in most cases. Even so, you will need to supplement your handheld with a second vacuum which can be used on large floor areas.

Upright

The upright vacuum is the “traditional” vacuum – the one your family probably had when you grew up. While not great at getting into small places, these behemoths have historically come with the tremendous suction needed to remove pet hair from deep within your flooring. There are no real surprises with upright vacuums, but they make the best large vacuum to supplement smaller handheld devices.

Canister

Canister vacuums are essentially two-piece units. The suction mechanism is contained in a unit which looks something like a small rolling suitcase. A flexible tube attaches a vacuum wand to this unit. The advantage of the canister design is it produces a significant amount of suction; the downside is that it’s awkward to pull the machine behind you in larger spaces. Certain models, however, are excellent for tackling tough pet hair.

Now that you are familiar with the different types, let’s get to our reviews.

Top 10 Best Vacuums For Pet Hair 2018

To say that Dyson is revolutionizing the world of vacuuming is not an overstatement. While the company constantly develops new and groundbreaking technology, its radial root cyclone technology is at the core of any Dyson vacuum, including the DC41 Animal.
Traditional vacuums use filters and bags in their design. The vacuum motor creates suction by pulling the air carrying your debris up into a tube, through the microscopic holes in the filters, and into the collection bag. This design approach, however, has a significant problem. The holes eventually get blocked up with dirt, hair, and grit. As air flow slows, suction power drops and the effectiveness of the vacuum declines dramatically.

Dyson radial root cyclone technology represents an out-of-the-box approach to providing consistent, powerful suction. Instead of pulling air through filters and into a collection bag, the Dyson creates a cyclone which spins the air at very high speeds. This cyclone generates centrifugal force, pinning pet hair and debris to the outer walls of the collection canister where gravity pulls it into a bin. There are no filters or bags to get gummed up, so suction is strong and consistent.

The DC41 Animal employs this cyclone technology to generate the maximum suction possible in order to pull dog hair out of your carpet, cushions, and other furniture. The suction level is the same on the fiftieth use as it is on the first use, which makes this device a winner in our opinion. The vacuum even comes with a mini-turbine attachment specifically designed for removing pet hair from small areas. (As an aside, this attachment also works extremely well for pulling dog or cat hair out of tight spots in your vehicle.) Taking everything into account, the DC41 Animal is our top-rated vacuum for picking up pet hair on Amazon.com because this vacuum will deliver top-notch performance now and in five years time. You can’t say that for most units. but it’s worth it.

Hoover has long been known for making high-quality vacuums, and this T-Series unit certainly lives up to the company’s reputation. Specifically designed for pet hair removal, the Pet Rewind is particularly noteworthy because it costs roughly a third of the price of the Dyson Animal, but provides comparable performance.

This vacuum employs Hoover’s WindTunnel technology, which forgoes filters and bags to create the continually strong suction needed to suck tough pet hair out of flooring. For hard-to-get spots, an air-powered pet hair removal attachment is included which allows you to apply sealed suction to areas with stubborn hair clumps. There is even an accessory available for upholstery, which works great on chairs and couches, as well as the seats in your car.

The other aspects of the Hoover we really like are the accommodations made for user comfort and convenience. The vacuum comes with an automated cord rewind function; click a button, and the cord retracts on its own. The handle is also designed to flip down, so less storage space is required than for a traditional vacuum. For under $150, this vacuum is hard to beat.

As a pet owner, you should really invest in a small handheld vacuum for spot cleaning. The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser is our top-rated handheld vacuum because it is designed specifically for pet hair removal. Use it where your pets sleep, and you can remove a “hair forest” in less than ten seconds.

One unique aspect of the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser is its rubber nozzle. The rubber is flexible, allowing you to create a seal on tough areas (like the “crease” on stairs) to generate the massive suction you need to remove hair from them. The nozzle may sound like a minor feature, but it turns this small vacuum into a hair-sucking monster. For less than $50, the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser is a must-have for any pet owner.

The specifications for this handheld vacuum:

16 foot cord

Bagless

Multi-level filtration

Cyclonic air flow

Easy to clean

1-year limited warranty

8 x 10 x 5 inches

5 pounds

Owners of this Bissell model say:

“This little sucker is unbelievable. The power is fantastic, the torque from the motor actually makes the vacuum jump in your hand when you flip the on switch. I have a couch in my basement that is the favorite place for my two cats to sleep. The couch had so much hair on it that the couch looked gray instead of purple. I spent 5 minutes with the pet hair eraser and the couch was literally hair free. The rubber attachment on the front works way better than motorized brushes that quickly clog with hair.”

“I had read the positive reviews about the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser, and was anxious for mine to be delivered. I am beyond thrilled with this product. I have always had dogs and cats, and have never had a product to clean up pet hair that was easier to use, and worked better. I have a Dyson Animal, and will never again pull that out to do my upholstery or stair cleaning — all I need is my Pet Hair Eraser! I first used it on the sectional, and it of course worked splendidly. Then I took it to the carpeted stairs, and I was almost giggling with excitement. This little machine is so easy to use, it has incredible suction, and the rubbery tip does a fantastic job of loosening up the pet hair and dirt for it to be suctioned into the collection cup. On the steps and along baseboards, it does a great job getting into the corners where your vacuum has a hard time reaching. Even if I didn’t have pets, I would use this product for my steps, because it saves me from dragging out my big vacuum, setting it up to use the manual attachments, and dragging it up and down the steps.”

We don’t have to tell you that traditional vacuums can be ineffective at picking up pet hair on hardwood and bare floors. The problem is not enough suction. Vacuum manufacturers try to account for at least a small layer of carpet when building machines, so the bottom of the vacuum is inherently too high to create the suction necessary to get bare floors clean.

The Bissell PowerEdge Pet Hard Floor Corded Vacuum is designed specifically for hard floors. This machine incorporates an absolutely ingenious design feature created to suck up hair up from slick surfaces like hardwood and tile, and the crevices in them.

The key feature is an inverted “V” head. As the device is pushed forward, the wings of the “V” collect and direct pet hair, dirt and debris to the center of the “V”, from which the vacuum gobbles up everything. The outer wings also contain rubber stops, designed to suck smaller debris and hairs directly out of the crevices in your floor. This unique design makes the Bissell PowerEdge Pet Hard Floor Corded Vacuum our top hard floor vacuum on Amazon. Frankly, it has no peers, particularly for less than $50.

The Eureka EasyClean Vacuum is the second handheld device on our list, and it’s an excellent vacuum for two reasons. First, it has two motors, with one devoted solely to creating suction – as opposed to other models which require a single motor to create suction, turn collectors and perform other functions. The vacuum also contains a long hose perfect for getting into hard-to-reach spots. Combined, the extra power and extended reach make this a versatile machine for removing cat and dog hair from even the most trying spots.

How does the Eureka EasyClean compare to the Bissell Pet Hair? It provides comparable performance, but it is louder than the Bissell. If you are concerned about loud noises, particularly with pets or a baby, then the Bissell is the better choice. If the noise is not a concern, then the EasyClean is probably the more versatile offering and is also a little cheaper.

Cordless vacuums provide the convenience we all want when vacuuming the house. No twisted cords. No cords catching on furniture. But this convenience comes with a tradeoff: suction levels on cordless units are often inadequate. For this reason, we were hesitant to put a cordless vacuum on this list, since it’s almost impossible to fully vacuum pet hair without good suction.

Then we found the Hoover Linx Cordless Stick.

This cordless Hoover provides more suction than many of the corded devices available on Amazon – more than enough to remove hair from almost any surface. This device also happens to have a sleek and attractive design which makes it the best-looking vacuum on this list by far. Place it in a corner, and most guests will not even realize that it is a vacuum unless they take a second look.

If the Hoover Linx is so great, why isn’t it higher on our list? Well, there is a tradeoff which might be an issue for many users. Massive suction requires massive power. While this unit employs an 18-volt Lithium Ion Battery and is Energy Star rated, it still takes a lot of energy to create the required suction. As a result, the charge only lasts 15 to 30 minutes. This limited time is more than enough for smaller homes but not larger ones, and recharging takes about three hours. Whether this vacuum is a good choice for you pretty much boils down to whether you can get the job done before the battery runs out.

The specs for this Hoover:

7. Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional Upright (NV356E)

Many people feel that owning one dog or cat isn’t nearly as satisfying as owning three or four. If you live with a number of furry friends, finding a vacuum which can handle the sheer volume of hair they leave behind is a tall order. The Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional is designed to handle the large volume of hairballs accumulating around your home like wayward icebergs.

The Lift-Away Professional looks like a traditional upright vacuum, but employs a number of modern design twists. Of these, the most important is the extra-large capacity canister. You probably have to constantly stop vacuuming in order to clean out your current vacuum, so you will love the fact the Lift-Away canister is at least twice as large as what you currently have.

This vacuum also provides excellent suction by employing Cyclone technology similar to most of the vacuums on this list. However, the suction is amplified by running it through a smaller 9.5 inch head nozzle, which is roughly two inches shorter than standard models. The shorter head gives the Shark Navigator the ability to focus its suction, increasing the intensity and power. You will be shocked by just how much hair and debris your old vacuum missed, and $$$ is a small price to pay for a clean home filled with pets.

The Eureka Mighty Mite Canister Vacuum is one of our favorite canister vacuums because this cutie is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. With a compact design, this vacuum weighs just less than ten pounds but packs the punch of a much larger vacuum. In fact, the motor is so powerful that the Mighty Mite converts into a blower if you want to use it to clean up the leaves around the yard.

With this kind of power, the Mighty Mite is an ace at sucking up cat and dog hair. The suction is so strong that it works well on both deep carpets and hardwood floors with tiny crevices. The machine is a bit loud, but this is hardly a surprise considering its power.

Why do we list the Mighty Mite at number eight instead of number one on our list? We just aren’t big fans of canister vacuums; dragging around the power unit just isn’t our thing. If feel differently, the Mighty Mite is one of the best selections available on Amazon at just over $60.

We love handheld vacuums for handling spot problems like pet food spills, vacuuming the areas where the pet sleeps, and cleaning the corners where hair can accumulate stubbornly. The Hoover Linx Cordless Vacuum is more than enough for all of these tasks.

The suction level with this handheld is more than sufficient to pick up hair buried deep in carpets despite the fact that it’s cordless. The use of fade resistant Lithium-Ion batteries means there is less of a problem with battery life than with most other cordless vacuums.

The Linx Cordless is a solid vacuum for cleaning up pet hair, costing a little over $110. The only reason we think it falls a bit short is its suction nozzle. The nozzle is simply not designed to create a seal with hard-to-vacuum areas such as the edges of stairs, crevices, and corners. If these are problem areas in your home, you might prefer the Bissell (#3) or Eureka (#5) handheld options.

Not everyone is infatuated with the new style of bagless vacuums. If you prefer a bagged system, the Hoover WindTunnel Pet Bagged Upright Vacuum is a quality machine. This vacuum is designed specifically with pet hair in mind, so even though it is a bagged and filtered model, the design provides enough air flow to keep suction levels high.

The Hoover Pet Bagged Upright is equipped with a number of accessories to facilitate pet hair removal. A crevice device is included to get into tight corners and areas along vertical surfaces, and the deep cleaning accessory is perfect for carpeted stairs.

If you prefer bagged vacuums, this Hoover offering is difficult to beat for $$$. The specifications:

Final Thoughts

Best Vacuums For Pet Hair 2018 – Any of the ten vacuums in our list are more than capable of handling just about pet hair problem in your home, and are the top 10 pet hair vacuums on Amazon. Your preferences and individual needs are what will enable you to decide between them.